In a Matter of Seconds
by chickalicious
Summary: Nathan is forced to leave Haley and Tree Hill in April by the infamous Dan. He sneaks back home in September to resume his life with Haley but when he meets up with her, she's changed. What happens on a rainy day when they meet up again? NH
1. Sometimes They Come Back

**Hi there, I'm Rebecca and I'm new to the Naley writing bit, but this is only going to be two or three parts and I'd appreciate it if you'd reply. I know this is my second time posting it but it's because when I posted it, the font became all bolded and I had a reply saying that it was confusing because of the lack of indifference from the switch of POV. Well, basically, this story is about Nathan leaving Haley and Tree Hill in April by the infamous Dan. He sneaks back home in September to resume his life with Haley but when he meets up with her, she's changed. What happens on a rainy day when they meet up again? Read and review!**

_Nathan's POV is italicized  
_

Haley's POV is normal

**Flashbacks are bolded  
**

** In a Matter of Seconds**

**Sometimes They Come Back  
**

The sun was dimming just so much that the sky had a slight glow from the upcoming moon. The clouds had taken over the sky for almost the whole day now so when the raindrops fell from the sky one after another in a pattern that I could have predicted, I closed the blinds. My life was like rain, making my surroundings gloomy, repetitive, and usually unexpected just when you let your guard down. I had been a wreck after spotting Nathan a week ago at school. The last I had heard of him, he was off at some basketball team, shooting his touchdowns or whatever. Why had he come back? I had never thought we would meet up again, especially with the way he had left; turning his back on our relationship. I had to find out myself by seeing the bracelet that marked our love in an envelope with a brief note that late April night. Too painful, don't go back there. Don't remember the pain he caused you. Well it's really hard to do that, especially when you're going to see him every day in drama. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I mentally swatted my head. Why did I choose that class again? All I know is that I would pass that class with flying colours considering how much of that I'd be doing this year. Next year, I'm transferring from Tree Hill High.

_God, how long it's been since I've seen her. I still do love her, I just have to forget her before my dad ships me off to 'try the basketball life'. I scoff knowingly that he just wants me to make the money for him. I love basketball- don't get me wrong, but I at least want to finish school, as much as I hate it. At least this way I'll be able to see her most days but if she talks to me, I have to avoid her like the plague. And I'm willing to do that, just to get to see her again. _

_I look outside until I head the dreaded ring tone that Peyton chose for herself and I shut my phone. You see, my dad made us move to L.A. for me to play for the Lakers and once he saw Peyton, a rich, beautiful…. What's another positive trait about her? That's right, filthy rich, powerful girl, he thought it would be a good match to help ease the pain of missing Haley, the pain that he had caused. _

_JUST STOP TRYING TO CONTROL MY LIFE! That's all I ask of you dad, that's all I want, Haley. I decided to take a walk to clear my mind; I open the door and look out to find rain pouring down after a gloomy cloudy afternoon. I guess I could've seen that coming. Do you realize the weather goes with your mood? Or is it the other way around?_

_I'm rooming in a house with Lucas while I'm staying away from my dad, before he finds out I left L.A. Although it's hard coping with seeing him and Brooke, so madly in everlasting love, they deserve it. They are doing the whole long distance thing and they only get to see each other a few times per year… more of a reason for me to leave the house. _

_I grabbed my jacket and headed to the local park. I miss everybody around here, and I can't remember the last time I talked to my own mother. Well, it was only a few months ago. God, I miss her presence around me so much, it's unbelievable. There's an even bigger void in my head for the people I love._

Dread, he's across the street. Should I turn back or would I look really stupid? Well it's not as stupid as me actually meeting up with him in an awkward confrontation. That would be weird. Too late, he's spotted me. Time to run, I thought as I attempted to sprint back to my safety net, my house.

_"Haley?" I screamed as I raced ahead, trying to speed up to her lightning quick pace._

_Wait… what are you doing? You're supposed to avoid her! That's the only way..._

_I still ran after her. And this time, I'm not letting her get away._

He caught up to me! Quicken up your pace, you can still play it off like you didn't hear him. He's right behind me! Just keep running Haley, the least you can do is make him work.

"HALEY STOP!" I hear an out of breath voice gasping for air shout from behind me.

I twirled my head around instantly and inch closer to him in an angered power walk and yell, "WHAT?!?"

"You can't avoid me forever you know? We have to talk about this some time or later." The nerve he has to say that to me! Oh I'll talk about it.

"I prefer later. And anyway, what's there to talk about? I recall vividly the fact that YOU left ME without ANY warning whatsoever? Or how about when you left me broken-hearted to sulk in my room for weeks at a time?" I started to laugh here while I tilted my head to the sky. "What about how you promised how you were going to be different? Forget talking about it. Do I sound bitter? That's because I am, especially since I read of a TABLOID that YOU of all people date the person I hate most. But go ahead; take me off your conscience because now I hate Peyton even more, not for dating you but for introducing me to you in the first place." I blurted out, taking a deep breathe once I let out all the emotions I had stirring inside of me explode out.

My emotions were a wreck. My angriness faded away and instead my eyes started to welt up tears; not that you could see with all the raindrops falling onto my eyelids. "But I've moved on after seeing you did too. Don't talk to me ever again, and I mean it Nathan." I began to walk away.

Nathan had stood there dumbfounded for most of my monologue about my hate for him but I was surprised when he nonchalantly shot back, "Moved on? That whole rant didn't seem like you've moved on." I instantly stopped and glared at him as he took a few steps closer to me and continued, softer this time. "I still do love you Hales, and that's what hurts the most."

Shivering at what he called me… Hales. Everybody I love calls me that. He doesn't deserve to be able to say that after what he did, he's not worthy of me.

I burst out into hysterics after his proclamation of love to me. Well it was a fake cackle for a phoney confession of course. "Love?!? There's no such thing, people always run away before they can find it. And I am over you. Did I not make it clear? I am still hurt." I corrected myself. "I was hurt. And as much as your intentions are true, I can never trust you again." And with that I rushed across the street, not bothering to look anywhere before I left.

"HALEY!" I heard him yell from behind. I ignored Nathan's shrill and jogged off… "HALEY!" He screamed again. This infuriated me, could he not take a clue? I whipped my head around and yelled "WHAT?!?" again when I stopped.

I stopped because at this moment I realized life can change in a matter of seconds. You can receive life; you can lose it. You can be hired; you can be fired. You can prosper; you can deteriorate. You can love so much your heart aches or you can hate so much you're always bitter. You can be so happy or so lonely. You can take life for granted or you can take advantage of life by cherishing and savouring it. But in those seconds that you do, you should consider the moments of happiness and regrets you've had. I considered them as I blurrily saw two headlights coming right at me.

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**AN: **

**As I said, only two or three parts. Please review and for those of you who reviewed to the first time I posted, I'm really sorry. **


	2. Stage Lights Dimmed

**AN: Hello, it's Beccy or Becky back again with another chapter of 'In a Matter of Seconds', my first Naley story. Thanks for all of you who read and replied, and sorry for deleting your comments on the test trial posting of the story. Please be sure to read and review to make me feel special! The bolded flashback in this chapter is for mature audiences only! Thanks again.**

**In a Matter of Seconds  
**

**Chapter Two – Stage Lights Dimmed**

_I'm supposed to be in drama with Haley right now but how isn't this enough drama for one day? Well I guess we're in another form of drama and hopefully when we wake up, this will all be over. Hopefully._

_I can't believe I just stood there. I was paralyzed and I watched the love of my life get hit. It was a sports car, a red sports car and I watched it hit Haley. It was like television, replaying over and over again in my mind, something that you couldn't stop. I watch her sail through the windshield and drop lifelessly onto the ground. It looked like she was lifeless, and I was scared shitless. _

_The times in life where you're most afraid are the times in life where you can't do anything but watch. These are the true moments where true heroes and heroines step up and conquer their fears. Even a sloth could have moved faster than me. I wasn't heroic…_

_I could now officially say I've lived without Haley for five months after that night. That late April night when I had wanted to say goodbye to her for the last and final time… what am I saying? No I hadn't. Nobody likes goodbyes and if I had a choice, I would have never left her side in the first place. My father, Dan Scott, literally packed my whole life that I had jammed into that one room I had known all my life and shoved it in the back of his SUV. Then he grabbed me and shoved me in the front seat. I had barely been able to leave Haley a sign that I was leaving if it hadn't been for the business call he had to take. She wasn't home, and I didn't have a choice but to leave a note. _

_I saw her, and I wanted to be the one stroking her blonde-highlighted hair from the rays of sunlight splashing in the dark, dark room. I wanted to be the one talking to her, not Lucas. But I couldn't get myself to move my damn two feet. It's like I had MS after Haley got hit and everything in my body went limp. I had internal scars from the pain that we both shared. _

_She was hooked up with tubes leading in every single direction and bruises all over her body but amidst all of it, she still was beautiful. Being a guy, showing emotion is against rule #1 and crying is a definite no. But I know that if Haley were awake, she wouldn't want me to be a guy, she'd want me to be a man. And I took the tear drop rolling down my face as a man. _

**As much as your intentions are true, I can never trust you again. **

_The words rang in my head over and over again. No, that couldn't be the final words that she spoke to me. It just couldn't be. Our life together wouldn't be over now, it's just too soon. We were going to get married; we were going to have babies together. We were going to live life with each other until we died, together. We were going to die together… That had been the plan, hadn't it?_

_I felt a pang of guilt and another one of regret flash across my whole body. I couldn't stop it. If I hadn't run after her like I told myself not to then she wouldn't be here. If we'd have never met, we'd never have felt so many heartaches. All because of me, she was suffering. If I could have taken back every wrong turn I took in our relationship I would've. If I could have stopped time and pushed her out of the way. I saw the car coming; I saw it and yelled for her to stop. But why couldn't I have plunged for her? Why couldn't I have exchanged her life for mine as I pushed her out of the two blurry headlights? _

_My myriad of thoughts was stopped as I heard a voice. "Mr. Scott is it?"_

_"That's me" I replied to the doctor who had just come out from examining room. _

_"You're the family of Ms. James?" he questioned, lifting an eyebrow at the difference between our two last names._

_"Um, no I'm not her family, but her parents are really far away. They're not in range of any form of communication," I explained using a lot of hand motions. This gesture was my way of coping with the screaming overwhelming aftermath of this whole event._

_"Are you related in anyway to um…" he paused, flipping the papers back to glance at the sheet, "Ms. James?" _

_"Yeah, I'm her…" he looked at me in that way, judgmental but soft at the same time. At this time, my fingers were fumbling around in a circle, searching for a word. My mouth was opened; as if I were about to say the words but nothing popped into my mind, other than one word of what I was to Haley, still. "I'm her boyfriend."_

_He swallowed his saliva loudly and licked the tip of his finger before he began to scroll through the pages attached on his clipboard. Considering he was a doctor at a hospital, I highly doubt the fact that he licked his finger was hygienically intelligent but I didn't think twice about it. _

_"Well," he began rather slowly. It was like he dealt with this every single day that he couldn't remember the case. Other than the fact that he DID deal with this probably everyday, shouldn't he at least show that he cared? Show that he understood my world was crashing down at the speed of her life? He found the page and let out a little sigh of relief "Ahh, she's doing fairly well for being hit directly in her ribcage. She has three broken ribs, a sprained leg, a dislocated shoulder which we have fixed, and hit her head but luckily, not that much damage was done. She was unconscious when she arrived after hitting her head but something broke her fall. Did you see anything that would have prevented her serious head injury?" he inquired._

_"No?" I supplied. The whole thing was a blur, motion all at once and frankly, I didn't want to remember it._

_"Well, she's rather lucky then. She's got a few bumps and bruises but she'll be out in a few days… maybe weeks time." _

_"Alright." I said, not sure whether I should be jumping for joy or crying my heart out. Few weeks, scrapes and bruises and a lot of broken/sprained/dislocated bones verse her death? I guess the former is always better. The doctor began to leave mumbling a few words I missed and I slumped into the chair next to the door where she lay, not more than 10 feet away. I began to think when the next words that came out of his mouth made my flesh tear off as if it were stuck on a moving roller coaster._

_"Oh yeah," the doctor recalled before walking off, "The baby's fine." _

_Baby? As in our baby? _

**_"I know sex is a huge deal for you Hales okay? I really don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me and I know that I tend to get a little hardcore but you don't have to have sex with me if you don't want to. And I know you don't, because I don't want you to regret it," I blurted out, a nervous habit. Nathan Scott NEVER got nervous, yet here I am, rambling at the site of Haley in a lacy, black bra. _**

_**"Hardcore?" her husky voice started out, "Well, I know a hardcore birthday boy who does want to make love with me if you don't." I smirked at her flirty banter. I was the birthday boy. **_

"_**I'm sure he doesn't get as hardcore as I do." I smirked before I pulled her in for a deep and passionate kiss, one that she broke apart from.**_

"_**Nathan," she began, looking down at her almost naked body. A bra with matching underwear beneath a denim skirt was all Haley was clad in, and that made me tingling in excitement. **_

"_**Look, Haley, I said if you don't want to, you don't have to." I replied, looking away from her body to hide the disappointment and contain myself from gripping onto her lips with my own possessively.**_

"_**No, no. I want to," she insisted, as brown met blue, "But I have something to tell you." She looked distant, even though she was on top of me, with her hand gently lying on my chest. **_

"_**What is it?" I asked, not really worrying about sex right now. Haley had that look, the look she got when she had news that she didn't want to tell me but felt she needed to. **_

_**She was a shy and insecure girl when it came to this stuff. She was far from a prude; she just wasn't that self-confident when it came to appearances, not that she shouldn't have been. Because from any view she was a goddess, but especially with the rain pelting against my bedroom window and her petite frame pressed up with me beneath her, Haley looked breath-taking; angelic. Who am I kidding? She is angelic; she was my angel, my miracle that saved me from being the playboy that my reputation boasted. **_

_**She gazed deep into my eyes and it's as if she got a surge of confidence, before she spoke in a soft voice. "I'm a virgin." **_

_**I laughed. I couldn't help but to laugh. "No offense Haley, but it's not a big secret." She smacked me lightly across the chest and rolled off me to the far side of the bed and crossed her arms. **_

_**What did I get myself into? Stupid Nathan, don't be insensitive right now!**_

"_**Babe, it's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, you should be proud of it." I reasoned with her, smiling as I rolled closer to her. I held onto her arms, and slowly, she opened her arms out of the crossed position and held my hand.**_

"_**You," she said while kissing my lips lightly, "are forgiven." With that, she toppled over me and started attacking my lips. **_

_**Heated moments later, I was supporting my weight from squashing her and when she glanced away nervously, I tried to calm her.**_

"_**Hey," she immediately met up with my eyes, "you okay with this?" I asked reassuringly.**_

"_**Yeah, I love you right?" Her bottom lip quivered in an unsure manner. **_

"_**You better because Haley James, I love you until the end of the world." I said before slipping into her.**_

"_**And back." she whispered out, emphasizing her intonation at the end because of the sudden thrust. I smiled at her and she smiled back, our eyes never faltering like our hearts never failing to beat faster from this new experience with each other. It was a first time for all.**_

_**I smirked at her actions; arching her back as she met with my gradually increasing pace.**_

"_**This is officially the best gift I've ever gotten."**_

_I smile at the memory. Seven months ago, I had been 18 and found the love of my life that I'd never want to leave. It was over now, at least even if she did get out; she would want it to be over. Pathetic enough that I would give it to her rather than fight, because look at what the fighting had done. I didn't want to hurt her anymore. I couldn't bring myself to hurt her anymore. It had to end. _

_I approached the doorknob and placed my hand delicately on it, afraid that it would crack open like I could foretell that my life was about to do as well. She was sleeping calmly, her beautiful mass of hair slickly pulled and spilling onto her right shoulder, the gentle curls reaching her rising and falling chest. _

_You can do this, I self-talked myself as a confidence booster and sat in the chair next to her bed, you have to do this. "For the better," I subconsciously said aloud as my hand found hers which was momentarily lifeless._

"_Haley baby, you have to wake up." I started, examining her features close up. She had gotten fatter in the stomach and I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed. "And I mean you too other baby." I chuckled lightly, trying to bring humour out of this situation. I was the only one who was able to hear it, or so I thought. "My loves, my life, both of you right here in this room. I want you to know that I'll do everything to try and keep you guys; let you guys live your life best, but I know that no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I won't be involved in your lives."_

_I thought I heard a stirring from Haley but when I looked up, away from the cold tile that my eyes averted to when confessing, she lay there peacefully. I took my right hand and placed it on her stomach, feeling the tiny gurgles. I linked my left hand back to her right hand and the three of us, stayed there, intertwined._

"_I want to see you my little child, grow up to be a great mother or father and to treat your first love right. You never want to lose your love but your first love is the worst. It's like losing your eyesight after witnessing the most beautiful place on earth once. And Haley, I want you to know I'll support you financially with every penny I've got. I'll send you guys checks in the mail and when I finally save up enough money, I'll come home," I stopped, looking back down at my feet, trying to get the tears behind my eyes to leave, "I'll come home to Tree Hill. And to you, the both of you…"_

_I broke the bond and took my hands away as I stood up. I savoured her stunning hair and her striking, shut eyes once more, painting a mental picture of her as I bent down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead, being careful not to interact with any of her injuries. At the same time that I was hovering over her head while kissing her forehead, a tear happened to drop into her hair and I could here the whisper around me, trying to scream loudly but to no avail, "Stay…"_

_Stay? I backed away and analyzed Haley's every piece, yet nothing had changed from mere minutes ago. Who said stay? _

_Could you imagine things in these times of need? Was I imagining that I had heard that 'stay' that was taunting me, inculcated into my mind? It couldn't be. Could it?_

_Her stomach lifted once more and I felt a wave of calm flush through my mind, knowing that the baby's future would be secured. Even if I'd have to be there every time the little hand clicked on the clock of life, I'd be there to protect the baby; my baby; our baby._

_I walked toward the door, staring at the tranquil body once more. The scene was just serene, like nothing was wrong in the world but it couldn't be any more wrong. My fingers on the doorknob like it had once been the metal seeming to be colder this time. I glanced around to the open windows releasing the sun inside, to the cold linoleum tiles, up at the painting drawn by a young toddler experimenting with crayons and lastly, to the face I'd remember in all my dreams and years, Haley. I caught my breath and silently said goodbye to her, knowing all would be better in the world if I just let her go, set her free._

_I stepped out into the hallway, down the corridor to the bright red 'EXIT' sign hanging above two doors closed shut with a faint trace of light lacing the poor insulation around the door. I pushed through the threshold and into the light. _

"Stay..." the faint whisper echoed through the hall.

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**AN: This is the final part of 'In a Matter of Seconds'. Thank you all for reading and there will be an epilogue posted soon.**


	3. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Nathan's POV

_Trudging through the black night with regret filling my brain made each step grow heavier. I had left my car in exchange for a long walk filled with contemplation. The topic however, would differ with every passing second. _

_No matter which reasonable point I thought of, I would always find a way to contradict myself. 'You have to leave to provide for your family, but you can't without them either.'  
I can't make up my mind, I decided as I stepped into the eerily lighted and quiet house. I walked to my room, looking around for Lucas or Brooke but then I remembered Lucas was at the hospital still. I went to the back of the closet where I pulled out a black duffel bag and opened the drawer. Taking a deep breath before pulling out the t-shirt I had worn under our first date. The memories zoomed by me and I couldn't help but smile at all of them, good or bad._

_I took a whole pile of shirts that had been neatly stacked into the drawer out but was startled and watched as my shaking hands lost grip of the soft material. The petite brunette stood with one hand perched on the door frame, more slumped and less perky than she would usually be._

_"Jeez Brooke, you scared the hell out of me!" I exclaimed as an attempt to ease the tension as she silently gazed in. I turned my attention back to the clutter of shirts now lying on the ground and began to pick each shirt up, refolding it again. I watched from the corner of my eye as she started further into my room, cautious yet tired. It was then I realized that she was one of Haley's best friends too meaning that she was experiencing almost the same things I was. _

_"What are you doing here?" Brooke asked intently, finding a seat on the edge of the bed. She grabbed a shirt from the ground and began folding it on her lap._

_"Thanks for the help but what do you mean?" I said, avoiding the interrogation I could feel soon approaching. I kept my eyes on the shirt on my lap and once I was done, I tossed it loosely into the empty duffel bag. I grabbed the next pile of clothing from the dresser, feeling her stare burning a hole into my back._

_"Nathan," I turned around when I felt ready to face Brooke and her strong voice, which was on the verge of entering fierce territory. She added the polo on top of the shirt pile and then took the whole pile out and stacked it back into the dresser._

_"What are you doing?" I asked, shocked at her actions. I tried grabbing the pile from her but she smacked my hand lightly away. _

_"No, what are YOU doing?" she snapped, turning to look me eye to eye now. I looked at her right in the face and saw the slight puffiness and the defined pink rim around her eye._

_Brooke and I had never really been friends - more like acquaintances. We weren't really close but were within the same circle of friends. The rare times we spoke alone were usually for advice, mainly to do with relationships. Then there was that one time, but that was a complete mistake that we both wanted to desperately take back. We couldn't take it back but we both agreed to forget that it ever happened. And we did. _

_"I'm leaving Brooke," I hesitantly said. She looked at me as if I were insane yet I kept the stare going, just to show her I was serious._

_"You're joking. I mean, you have to be JOKING!" she replied, raising her hands above her head, voice emphasizing the end. _

_"No Brooke, I've got to go. I just have to get out of here and go back to L.A. before I make things worse." I started before she interrupted me._

_"Make things worse? Is that even possible at a time like this?!?" She was going into hysterics and barging around my room, carrying the duffel bag with her frantic body._

_"Brooke, just stop. I don't need this from you." She scowled at me and glared, hands snug on her hip. _

_"Okay, so who do you need this from? Do you want Haley to come and yell at you? Jesus Nathan, she is my friend too you know? Stop moping around and get your mind back! Are you even thinking? If you're planning on LEAVING her AGAIN and you expect me to stand by and applaud you, you have another thing coming for you." she ranted angrily. I glanced at her, the clarity dawning my eyes of another side of Brooke as tears fell down her eyes._

_"Hey! Don't cry," I comforted, pulling her into a hug as she raised her two arms to cover her face. "Give me that," I whispered into her ear as I pulled the duffel bag she had shrugged over her shoulder._

_After a few moments of quietly sobbing, she lifted her head up to face me and softly began as she stepped back. "I saw her today, for a few minutes before you came. She was helpless Nathan, but it was relieving too. It's the first time I've seen her sleep in five months like that."_

_"What can I do huh? Brooke, God damn it, do you want me to save her somehow? Perform a miracle? Because guess what? I CAN'T! I'm not God Brooke, I don't control these things. They just happen. And when tragedies in life like these happen, you can't stop and watch your world crumble… you have to fight your hardest to keep each piece intact. I love Haley, I really do, but if you're asking me to somehow rescue her, I don't have the power to do that."_

_She looked at me for a moment, as if looking past me and knowing all. In an omniscient manner, she quietly whispered before slipping out of the doorway:_

_"I'm not asking you to save Haley… I'm asking you to keep her alive."_

_I sat there, hands hanging onto the mattress as if it were the only stability in my life. And as of now, I think it was. _

_My brain was brushing through all these thoughts of different things and the only thing that it revolved around was my life; a life that was void and missing that unmentionable thing. Haley._

_She was having our baby, she was in the hospital, she was fighting for her life, doing so while I sit here and brood over it. Actually, my way of coping with the ordeal was to leave; to run as if I were never here. In all honesty, that's the only reason why I had started to pack my bags to go back to Los Angeles. Actually, the true reason of why I'm leaving is to be able to forget and be forgotten. Start fresh; renewed…_

_That's never going to happen with Haley on my mind; I know that now. _

_I rushed down the stairs, two by two and I saw a brunette smiling as I rushed out the door, feeling a tiny smile approaching on myself. I knew I was doing the right thing for once in my life._

_I turned my head around, looking for my car when I remembered it was back at the hospital. Before I knew it, a set of five keys in a keychain was thrown at me. My quick reflexes, trained through basketball, were able to catch it in time. I saw Brooke leaning against the doorway with a smirk on her face, silently rooting me on. I smiled and muttered a thank you, then ran off._

_The longest moments passed in five minutes that it took to get to the hospital and I threw the door open, letting myself out. I fumbled with the keys, finally selecting one and quickly tapping the lock button; all while I was heading toward the hospital entrance. Heavy breathing proceeded, but not because of all the running I was doing, rather because nervousness._

_I ran to the room I had memorized without even signing in, living off the pure motivation of love. I ran to her room and inhaled deeply._

_Nothing…_

_Her bed was empty and unmade, kept as if she had left the room suddenly. Well, maybe she had… _

_I walked a little closer, touching every texture as if I were living in some surreal world, wanting to experience every feeling. The memory of the bed I had been sitting on with her warmth only a few hours ago was still present. I could tell that she had left for only a short while. _

'_Where are you?' I pleaded inside my head, wondering if I could use telepathy in this scenario. And I had a feeling deep inside me, a premonition if you will, that somewhere in my throbbing mind lay the answer of Haley's location._

_I approached her frail figure cautiously, sitting on a bench beneath the tree with her dishevelled appearance– messy hair and oversized hospital gown fitting loosely on her skinny body, for being pregnant of course. Even with all that, I felt a strong aura of beauty radiating from her._

_With each step I noticed her body shaking slightly, her bad posture, and a tissue in her hand. She had bruises, cuts, and scars on her whole body and it had looked like it had taken a lot out of her to get to where she was now._

_She sniffled and I stepped out of my trance to notice that I was almost in front of her; not like she had realized. _

_If she were painted on a canvas, she'd be considered a masterpiece; one like that of the 'Mona Lisa'. I had never understood art and how someone could just stare at something for so long. I guess I still don't, but with Haley… she was an exception. I was mesmerized by her, all while wondering how one could be so captivating. I could look at her for hours and still find the feeling so refreshing. I was positive I could do it for a lifetime too._

_"Haley? Baby, don't cry." I started with my voice weak and coarse._

_She looked up at me unsure of who I was at first. Once our eyes met, I saw her relax a little more. Trepidation was still between us but I buried it as I sat beside her on the bench and pulled her into my arms. Haley was trembling when I first held her but each passing second as I embraced her, I could feel her slowly unwind and ease into my arms._

_When she finally calmed down enough to speak, she looked up at me and surprised me by pressing her lips up to my lips. Our first 'I love you' exchange had taken place on a bench so I found it fitting that this perfect feeling of tranquility had also occurred at this setting._

_I felt my world spinning in circles around us, as if we were the only thing there for the moment. I could feel her warmth, her lips against mine, melding together in perfection. It was then I realized that after all these months of separation, I had never fallen out of love with Haley James. The presentiment of a future together that I had once held in my dreams now felt so real, so true. _

_This whole thing was the real thing… that fact alone seemed to scare me the most and at the same time, made me the happiest man ever._

_"Don't you ever," She exclaimed in a whisper, her mouth pressed against my ear, "leave me again!"_

_I gazed at her, experiencing the dreams that I've had of a fantasy of her become factual. I smiled and pulled her further into me, "Baby, that'll never happen."_

_I kissed her head, her forehead, every spot of her face, savouring the essence of her. In-between rushed kisses, while she was drying her tears; I scolded her for risking herself and asked her all the questions rushing through my mind; if she had heard me, if she came here by herself, her condition. She wrapped her arms around my neck tighter and mine below her shoulders and I knew at that point, we were the definition of love._

_The words spoke themselves, "I love you… so much."_

_"I do too Nathan," she whispered softly, her face against my shoulder, "I've missed you."_

_We sat there for a while, just enjoying the moment and enjoying each other. When a breeze blew by and she shivered a little, I knew it was time to get her back._

_"Hales," I said into her ear and pulled away to look at her face. It was a little shocked and scared, as if she was unsure of what I was about to say. I relieved her by completing the sentence, "I'm just wondering how you got here all by yourself. You're crazy but I love you anyway. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" I blurted._

_She looked overwhelmed with the questions and told me that I was the only pain she felt throughout her journey to this bench. Then she had a serious expression on her face and saw me, eye to eye before asking: "How did you know I was here?"_

_I smirked, getting up before I extended my hand to help her, "Just a feeling."_

_We walked back to the hospital, her quivering arm in my strong ones as I guided her down the hallway, letting her relax her weight on me. She walked with a hobble due to the injuries sustained on her leg. She couldn't walk fast since the lump on her stomach had given her a bit of a waddle. I actually liked it better this way, spending every moment with Haley, because we would talk about miscellaneous things like we used to. We avoided the fresh wounds, though neither of us had the nerve to bring it up. We were both afraid of losing each other… again._

_Sneaking pass the nurses' station at the front while they were chattering near the coffee machine, Haley and I snuck into her room, where I shut the door. The dim light from the outside street lamp was not enough to light the surroundings. Our pupils dilated and in a way, we opened our eyes a little more and saw clarity. Both of us simultaneously realized the situation we really were in; I wasn't a permanent fixture and she was pregnant with our child. _

_That whole thing still gives me goose bumps. I'm not sure if it's the feeling of excitement or nervousness that makes me shiver a little, but I know that it is a good and refreshing sensation - I'm going to be a dad!_

_She plopped down onto the bed, exhausted from exerting herself. A little yawn escaped her lips as she placed her two arms beside her thighs, sitting upright. I took the little hint that she had wanted to get settled in and helped her lay down. In the process of doing so, my fingers brushed against her delicate yet smooth back that was exposed from the hospital gown and I felt her go rigid for a moment._

_"Thanks Nathan." Haley said, not coldly, but more of a nonchalant tone, adding emphasis on my name._

_"No problem," I said while fidgeting with my fingers, glancing up at her every so often. When I felt her stare piercing through my head, I raised my eyes to meet at her level. Like a laser, our eyes both intensely gazed at each others, neither blinking nor looking away. The tension was heating up and the trances in each other's eyes were soon replacement for the words they hadn't said; couldn't say. _

_The five months of bitterness and sorrow all converged into two pairs of eyes; brown and blue in colour. If looks could kill…_

_The friction between us was unbearable. Haley had never been one to say sorry because she was stubborn, in a positive way; the type that worked for what they got. She could have definitely been on the debate team and have won, single-handedly. I felt the cyan-sensitive cone in my eyes start to blur, the surroundings were completely of a bluey-green that began to tire my eyes out. The twitch in my right eye started to go and that's when I knew I was nervous. _

_I took the first step towards her, eyes never faltering. She looked appalled, as if she hadn't expected me to do anything. I was now waiting on her to retaliate, unsure._

_I was bending down to reach her level from on the bed- still nothing. I reached over to pull my arms around her and she surprisingly got some tubes that she had reattached out of the way for me. _

_My arms were around her body and I was afraid I was going to squash her as I felt my knees give in. I slowly, while maintaining the hug, found an empty spot to sit on the bed beside her warm body. She was first to pull away but she kept her hands on my shoulders and directly watched my eyes, as if searching for indications._

_"I want to tell you to tell me why," she started._

_"Why what?" I reflexively answered, trying to avoid the inevitable. _

_"Don't play dumb with me,"_

_"I'm not playing dumb right now,"_

_"Well, don't play with me,"_

_"I'm doing neither!"_

_"Nathan, just answer me." She said, frustrated from my stalling, "Why did you leave Tree Hill?"_

_"It was my da-"I began until I got cut off by a flustered sigh._

_"Don't you dare blame this on your father," Haley said, eyes closed with her index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of her nose. This was the classic 'aggravated' Haley look before she got mad- real mad. She exhaled heavily and her eyes fluttered open, "Look, just tell me the truth. Do you want this baby?"_

_I hesitated, struck flabbergasted by the question. Had I wanted this baby or better yet, did I want this baby? Was I capable of caring for another when I could barely care for myself? _

_"Just… just go then," she said, trying to ease me of my pain. That was the easy way out and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it, yet the whole conversation was leaving me speechless. Apparently, my open jaw had spoken for me._

_"Don't worry about us; you left us once before, we can handle it." Haley muttered, rubbing her belly subconsciously and turning her head away from my view._

_My foot was inches from the ground, on my way out the door when I froze. I couldn't believe that I was doing this again after I had promised to myself I wouldn't. I stopped and turned right back around; unwilling to give up without a fight._

_"Haley, I know that it was stupid to leave you and I had bno/b intention whatsoever to hurt you. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I did. But I made a promise to myself to make things better if I ever got a second chance. So if you would," I walked closer to her and bent down so my knees were on the cold hospital ground. I picked up her right hand and held it between both of my own, "Haley James, will you marry me?" _

_Her eyes widened and eyebrows perches, the crevices of her lips turned upward to reveal a bright smile at that exact moment. I pulled out a magenta-and-purple coloured ring that I had gotten from the Cracker Jack box that morning and at that point, I knew it was a sign. I showed it to her with my right hand and when she nodded, a tear of joy falling out of her eye, I put it on her fourth finger that I had in my hand._

_"Welcome to the family Mrs. Haley James-Scott," I said while smiling in her embrace._

_My dad found out I was home, in Tree Hill, North Carolina and decided to pay me a visit at Lucas'. Let's just keep it simple and say it was an unfriendly visit. We parted bitterly because we couldn't compromise on how I should live MY life. I wanted to stay in Tree Hill and he had wanted me to return to L.A. He had left me to sign the forms of my own emancipation from my pill popper of a mother and the psychopath control freak of a father… what a difficult choice for me. _

_It was crazy being the youngest professional basketball player on the team and in the whole league but the thrills that basketball gave me couldn't compare to the ones love gave me. I stayed for a week after, spending my sunrises and sunsets in the hospital. The nurses had a soft spot once they had seen my endearing love toward Haley and had let me stay with her, muttering comments like, "Oh isn't that cute,", "It's puppy love!", or other phrases that had by far doubted the love between us. Even though some had doubted the extent of my affections for Haley, it was nice to know that they were obvious. _

_Most of the time, she would be sleeping, but when she was awake, I'd read to her some letters I'd written to her when I was away. Sometimes, she'd wake up and smile at me and seeing her smile was just enough for me. Then one day, she woke up while I was reading to her, frowning…_

"_What's wrong?" I asked, closing the book immediately and coming closer to her. _

"_I think…" she cringed, "he's coming OUT," she exclaimed, clutching her stomach._

"_He?" I asked, not catching on until I realized, "OH! HE? HE! HE'S COMING OUT?!" _

"_You're having more of a panic attack than I am!" She gritted through her teeth while inhaling deep breaths._

Third Person POV

**Seven hours later, Christopher James Scott was brought into the world with his eyes being his father's cobalt blue colour and his mother's big, round shape. The little tuffs of hair were coming in with a dark colour, not that his parents would notice. His mother would be crying with tears of joy while his father would be tending to his family.**

Haley's POV

I was looking through the window at my son in the incubator; a mandatory requirement for newborns, when I felt a warm embrace wrap around me. I turn and smile to see my fiancée's blue eyes looking at our son's own oceanic gaze. As I stood on my tippy toes to give his significantly taller stance a kiss on the cheek, I wrap my arm against him too as we both look in at our life; the life we created. He nuzzles his nose in my hair, gives my head a light peck, and caresses my cold, exposed arm.

"Mmm," I said, smiling to myself. I tilted my head up to look at his face to find him staring right back at me, "I've missed this,"

He smiled, "I've missed you,"

We both take in the silence, knowing that this will be one of those few moments in the next few years we'll get a moment like this. Not the love that we share, rather the quiet noise without babies crying and running around frantically naked. I close my eyes for a short while, basking in the scent of Nathan.

I heard his deep laugh and I open my eyes again. "Did you see that?" he asked me, a playful smirk against his face.

"No! What happened?" I exclaimed, disappointed in missing out the first thing my son did.

"You see that baby girl beside Chris in the next crib over?" He asks, pointing to the baby in the pink blanket.

"Yeah," I say, nodding my head excitedly.

"Chris just gave her the classic Scott smirk!" He replied, beaming with pride.

"NO WAY!" I shrieked, overcome with happiness, "Looks like he does have that Scott gene inside of him,"

"Yup," he said quietly with a smirk, "he's going to grow up to be like his daddy."


End file.
